Rod was born and raised in North Carolina before moving to Maryland, where he attended Brooklyn Park High School.  After high school he spent four years in the Air Force, including a year in Vietnam from 1966-1967.  Rod then joined the Baltimore City Police Department for 5 years prior to starting his own business. He started RJ’s Bar and Grill in Glen Burnie, MD and it remained in business for 32 years.

While operating the business, Rod became involved coaching baseball at Old Mill High School.  He was the Head Coach of the JV team for four years prior to becoming the Assistant Varsity Coach.  Overall, Rod coached at Old Mill for a total of 23 years from 1985-2008.  During that time, Old Mill won three State Championships with an overall winning percentage of .895.  A number of players were drafted during those years including the most recent, Alex Buchholz a 6th round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2008.

Currently, Rod is assisting with the 13U Lake Shore Baseball team based out of Pasadena, MD.  He and his wife Gerri, have been married for 44 years and have two children and four grandchildren.